What does “healthy food” really mean? You might be surprised to know that, while food bloggers can say pretty much whatever they want, for packaged food, the word “healthy” is highly regulated by the FDA. That means that any food labeled (or advertised) as “healthy” must meet specific strict rules.
To be labeled as “healthy” in the US, a food product, MUST contain (per serving):
- No more than 1 g saturated fat
- No more than 480mg Sodium
- No more than 60mg cholesterol
- At least 10% of the Daily Value (DV) of vitamins A, C, calcium, iron, protein or fiber.
So how does Yumbini stack up against the “healthy” regulations? Take a look:
- Yumbini contains 0.9g saturated fat per serving. This compares to about 6g in instant ramen and upwards of 2g in macaroni and cheese.
- Yumbini contains 480 mg sodium. This is one third the typical sodium in instant ramen and much less than the 600 plus in mac ‘n cheese.
- Yumbini contains ZERO cholesterol because it is 100% plant based! (Cholesterol only comes from animal foods.)
- Yumbini contains 15-23% DV iron, 10-18% DV potassium, and 23-32% DV of fiber, plus 13-15g protein per serving. Instant ramen and macaroni and cheese do reach 10% DV iron (because the pasta is artificially fortified), but they can’t come close to Yumbini on potassium, fiber, and protein!
So there you can see – Yumbini is truly unique in the “instant food” category – ready in 6 minutes AND healthy!
In addition to the FDA rules for the word “healthy”, the USDA issues “Dietary Guidelines for Americans“. Nutrition experts study the American diet and make recommendations aimed at reducing diet-related diseases such as obesity, heart disease, diabetes and cancer. In the dietary guidelines, potassium and fiber are identified as “nutrients of public health concern”. In other words, most Americans don’t eat enough. That is another reason Yumbini is such a healthy choice – a good source of potassium and lots of fiber!
So in case you were wondering what is the healthiest food? It just very well may be Yumbini! Take a look at our product page for more details.
You might be wondering about all the other health claims out there like organic, natural, no preservatives, gluten free, no added sugar, non-GMO, low glycemic, easily digestible, etc. Some of these are legitimate claims, and some of them are what is known in the industry as a “healthy halo” – they make foods sound healthy (even when they aren’t!). How to tell the difference? I will address these other claims in a future blog so stay tuned!
Jan Matsuno is a Certified Food Scientist with 40+ years experience in the food industry.
